OT Battle-tech (was Re: DS: Walkers)

Small and medium pulse lasers are also nasty on VTOL's, especially using the
"hide and pounce" tactic, since they all but negate your movement penalty.

> --- Randall Joiner <rljoiner@mindspring.com> wrote:

> --- Randall Joiner <rljoiner@mindspring.com> wrote:

You did, but no one else had, and there's no need to
limit the discussion to ONLY pre-clan weapons.
Pre-clan, you're right - the AC-2 was a badass option
on VTOL's.  Post-clan, it still had some merit.  I did
not intend to dispute the validity of your comments, just point out that in
other eras, other systems also offer good VTOL options. Case in point:

Pulse lasers where
> a clan era invention.

And in that era they are nasty. The discussion is about good weapons on VTOL's
in general.

> Now, you want to talk about the scariest weapon

I don't believe I ever encountered it, the only one I
ever knew of was the post-clan IS (15 tons, 7 crit)
and Clan (12 ton, 6 crit IIRC). What were the
pre-errata stats?

A bit heavier, but a VTOL with an AC/2 (longest reach in the game, bar
none, before clan) could be built that was cheap, nigh untouchable by most
mechs (very very very few mounted ac/2's) and could have a movement rate

higher than all but the lightest of mechs...

*shrug* They actually improved games where I was playing... It was no
long a slug-fest of the heaviest mechs you could get your hands on, but
a decent mixed arms game with vehicles, infantry, and light mechs being used.

(If you're wondering) Infantry do wonders on mechs (If they have cover
and/or surprise), light mechs to cleanse infantry, vehicles (Atmospheric

fighters, and GEV's to take out the VTOL's, support craft for indirect fire),
and light mechs to clean infantry and light vehicles (like the VTOL's and
fighters).

The system could be really good, I could even have forgiven the
hit-location monstrosity, if they hadn't brought the clan's into it.

> At 04:41 PM 2/7/03 -0500, you wrote:

> bear.

Um...  I did mention pre-clan...  Pulse lasers where a clan era
invention.

Now, you want to talk about the scariest weapon system ever
invented...  The original, pre-errata gauss cannon.  An abomination that

should never have happened.

Rand.

> At 02:45 PM 2/7/03 -0800, you wrote:

> --- Randall Joiner <rljoiner@mindspring.com> wrote:

Fair enough. However, given that the clan tech completely changed the dynamics
of the game (and ruined the game for me, but hey, I'm not everyone... Even if
my ego tells me other wise...), there is a dividing

wall when discussing tactics, design, etc. Pre and post clan. (Specifically,
the 2750 book should be included even though it's not "clan.") Almost any
discussion from one era is useless in the other
era.  Thus the reason I said pre-clan.

> Pre-clan, you're right - the AC-2 was a badass option

Nah, VTOL's are particularly useless with the advent of LBX-10's, Ultra
AC/2's, Gauss Cannon, Light Gauss Cannons, LRM 5's (With "Rules of
warfare"
extra tech they just get silly), ER PPC's, X-light engines, MASC,
Targeting computers and called shots, or my favorite the C3 computer system,
etc. Basically, given the increased lethality of the game, and the huge

dis-advantage the VTOL already suffered with those light armored
rotor's, and a million other changes, the era of the light chopper annoyance
(AKA

Mosquito swarms) was/is over.  Now, the era of the heavy tank, THAT was
in
full swing.  And Power-Armor (Elementals), etc.  True, the Pulse laser
(preferably large) and the thunderbolt missle system kept VTOLs from being
completely useless, but mostly useless isn't much better than completely.

> Pulse lasers where

Ah... I'd thought I'd taken, at least a small part of the conversation down a
more specific path, but I see you were attempting to draw said path back to
the main thread... IE. I misunderstood. Sorry.

> > Now, you want to talk about the scariest weapon

Still 15 tons, 7 crits, 1 heat, 15 damage.

BUT 16 points of ammo per ton, and the gun didn't blow when it was hit, only
the ammo did... (I know realism problems. That's why the erata.) It
was MUCH lighter than the AC/20 when you considered heat and ammo, more
ammo than an AC/10, harder damaging than an AC/10, not much less damage
than an AC/20, More consistant damage than an LRM/20 (Average hit was
12.5 damage, without AMS), Longer range than an LRM system, and ALL damage
went to one location. Better than the PPC because 1 hit at long range could,

with a touch of luck, rip the head off a mech completely (PPC still left 2 IS
if the head was fully armored.)

It was... Scary.

Rand.